Sun of Shadows/Epilogue
This is the epilogue of Sun of Shadows and concludes the third book. Epilogue Entry 27: Stress reaction. Part two. Nusku's eyes raced across the paper on his desk as he scanned it for probably the tenth time. Still no success. Pain causes use of magic. → Only wind. → Stronger definitely possible. Physically the wrong way? → Mental pain? He groaned and got up to pace up and down his study. The oil lamp on his left horn was burning, throwing dancing shadows on the sparse interior. Is something wrong?, he would surely have been asked if he hadn't been alone. But at the moment, others were with his research object, he was merely formulating the next report to Gerra. And that was just as the chief liked it: short and concise and without any redundancy. Most Fire Elmen wrote like this. But he wasn't one of the most. He was Nusku, chief scribe and appointed chief scientist. The one who took such un-warrior-like amenities most seriously. He had already been entrusted with many things that he would rather have left to others - what did they ask him about sword blades, him who didn't have a single tooth? But his current project was exactly to his liking. Only a few hundred yards away, deep in the research laboratory opened just two years ago thanks to his persuasiveness - why would barbarians care about science? - there was a Shadow incarnate that Nusku's task was to analyze. Of course, Gerra was all about the fighting skills and, he and Nusku agreed, the magic, but Nusku himself was equally fascinated by the physical attributes. The first twelve reports had been nothing more than that: a study of the Shadow body and its nature and capabilities. At Gerra's insistence, he had dedicated himself to the magic and analyzed it, but the chief had been displeased by that after nine reports as well. He wanted to know how Shadow magic could be used in combat. Unfortunately, the Shadow didn't have much interest in using his magic effectively. This was the sixth report on the subject and they still hadn't achieved anything. Even the most tribely worded report couldn't change that. Tribely? He laughed at his choice of words. After all, he knew exactly how his tribe thought and acted - and that he was the exact opposite. No Elm was interested in science if it couldn't be used to win teeth. He could count himself lucky that Gerra read his reports, because who ever even picked up a book in this tribe? Who was stupid enough to use paper in a place where something went up in flames every day? Nusku. Nusku was. And he enjoyed writing, even though he would much rather formulate elaborate texts than vague bullet points. He enjoyed the research, even if it meant dealing with warfare rather than analyzing if, with proper nutrition, it was possible to give birth to Elmen whose scales shone green or purple, like flames of copper or potassium. But sometimes science called for a sacrifice or two. Quick steps tore him out of his thoughts. Was that a visitor? At this time? No Elm was interested in him, at most, it was Gerra who wanted something from him. The report? Now? The door was opened. In the dim light of his oil lamp, Nusku saw little more than a silhouette - without horns, but with long unkempt hair. An older Impure woman with tribe-typical orange-colored, but pale-blue spotted skin who was completely out of breath. "Yes?" Nusku asked in an attempt not to sound as nervous as he felt. Something had happened, clearly. "The Shadow," the woman gasped. "He -" Immediately Nusku was on full alert. "Did he escape?" "He attacked Elmen. They're trying to stop him, but - " "Were the guards notified?" The woman nodded. "I thought it appropriate to let you know as well." "Thank you," he said and meant it. "What is your name?" "Ishara, Your Excellency." Now it was he who nodded. "Thank you," he said again and hurried outside. Should he wake his companion? No, that would only slow him down. Tortoises weren't very fast anyway, and Nusku couldn't do much more with his magic than the simplest self-defense. So he ran to the research building himself, seeing the tail of a lizard disappearing into it. The guards would manage to handle Sabazios. Still, he couldn't help but enter the building himself. Above all, he wanted to know what had happened: in all these weeks, Sabazios had made no attempt to escape, let alone attack anyone. What had made him do so today? It was a night like any other, the shortest day of the year was only tomorrow. Or did it have to do with that? That would be something he could mention to Gerra. If he survived this night... He took the direct route to the rooms where Sabazios was staying. Even without his prior knowledge he would have been able to easily follow the sounds that came to him from that very direction. There were fight sounds, cries of pain... did he really want to get closer? Curiosity was an integral part of science. He kept close to the wall, so he stayed hidden from the people in the room at the end of the corridor, and pushed forward as fast as he dared. Torches that someone had to have lit on the way prevented his oil lamp from giving him away. The torches at the end of the corridor went out. Then the next. Whenever something passed them - a kind of cloud of black mist, but he could see the features of a person in it. Was this unleashed Shadow magic? Was this... "Sabazios?" The creature hadn't noticed him, but now it paused, staring at him. Idiot, Nusku scolded himself. You're done for now. But there was no aggressiveness, no bloodlust in Sabazios's eyes. Only... fear. Fire lit up the darkness as a giant two-legged reptile approached with quick, trembling steps. Already Sabazios hurried down the hallway again and the reptile and its companion started the pursuit. Not that they had a chance to catch him - Nusku knew from his calculations how fast Shadows could become. He allowed himself to look after them for a moment to calm his racing heart. However, this only partially helped: he knew that he had to see what damage Sabazios had left behind. So Nusku forced himself forward into the room from which the others had come. It was pitch black, even his oil lamp had been extinguished by the Shadow magic. But he didn't have to see anything to know what had happened. The intense smell of blood penetrated his nose. Nusku knew enough Elmen that wouldn't mind. He, however, wanted to turn back immediately. But he couldn't, not without making sure that... "Hello?", he asked warily. "Is anyone..." ...alive? "Here," he heard a faint voice near him. A woman's voice that didn't belong to anyone he could identify without a light. "The Shadow... is he..." "Gone? Yes." Nusku still had Sabazios's image clearly in mind. "What happened here?" "He attacked us. Just like that. We couldn't do anything, we..." Nusku silently shook his head. That contradicted all his previous findings. He knew Sabazios long enough by now to know that the man wouldn't attack anyone, at least not with Shadow magic. Of course, there was no denying that he had hurt someone. But why? Nusku remembered Sabazios's gaze from before; the fear that had been in it. And hadn't he heard his voice in the yells of pain earlier? Everything fell into place. It was the most trivial principle of stress reaction to fight or to flee. Something had happened, had released Sabazios's magic. That had overwhelmed him so much that he had attacked everything near him - until finally, he had fled. Nusku could only hope that other Shadows - if this wasn't an individual case - also preferred flight over fight. "I will get a healer," he told the woman, to save at least her. Who knew if the others were still alive. And I'll notify Gerra, he added in his thoughts. I have a lot to report him after all. Category:Chapters Category:EE3 Chapters